Crock Pot Banana Bread Oatmeal

Last week’s cold snap reminded me how much I love warm breakfasts. Truthfully any type of hot food was welcome during that freakishly freezing weather, but there is something so comforting and satisfying about a toasty bowl of oatmeal to start the day. Plus it keeps me full for the entire morning. That doesn’t mean I’ve moved on from my favorite morning baked goods, though. This Crock Pot Banana Bread Oatmeal is an delicious compromise and creates a tempting aroma that coaxes even the sleepiest of heads out of bed in the morning.

Oatmeal cooked in the Crock Pot can be notoriously fickle. Some units run hotter than others, and removing the lid hours later often reveals crusty, overbaked oatmeal edges. The solution? A Crock Pot water bath. Get out your large Crock Pot for this recipe, and find a heat proof container that will fit inside it (I used CorningWare, but Pyrex would work well, too). Combine all of the ingredients in the CorningWare and then place it in the middle of your Crock Pot. Add enough water to the Crock Pot until it is about an inch or so below the top of the CorningWare. Then step back and let ‘er cook. That tiny bit of effort ensures your oatmeal cooks gently and evenly in its toasty water bath. And no crusty edges means no scrubbing baked on oatmeal out of your Crock Pot the next day. Who wants to do dishes first thing in the morning? Not me.

This Crock Pot Banana Bread Oatmeal keeps for a week in the fridge and needs just a bit of milk when reheating to bring the leftovers back to their glory. Feel free to play with the ingredient amounts to suit your taste. My kids would never say no to extra brown sugar, so that’s always an add-on at our house, while I load up my bowl with toasted pecans and a few banana slices. Though I’ll never give up my love for banana bread, this Crock Pot Banana Bread Oatmeal pretty much nails the best of both worlds.

2 very ripe bananas, mashed or pureed until smooth (I used frozen ones I had in my freezer)

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1 cup steel cut oats (do not substitute quick cooking or rolled oats as the consistency of the oatmeal will be off)

Water (for water bath)

Toasted, chopped pecans, optional

Banana slices, optional

Brown sugar, optional

Instructions

Combine milk, mashed banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and oats in a heat proof bowl. Place in your Crock Pot and fill the Crock Pot with enough water so it is about one inch from the top of the bowl.

Comments

What a wonderful idea!!! That looks, and sounds fantastic! I have always been too scared to try crockpot oatmeal as I have heard too many horror stories…..and would like to have more than 6 hours sleep! This will be great to try! Thanks so much! I need to keep up my carbohydrate level for my high level of training, and oatmeal is a wonderful way to fuel up before a workout or race! Giving this a try asap! Thanks!

At our house we use an outlet timer for our crockpot (the kind that you would use to automatically turn lamps on and off while on vacation). It turns the crockpot on and off automatically so we don’t have to worry about over cooking anything and we can still get enough sleep! I thought I’d pass along the tip to you. Sleep + a yummy breakfast = the best of both worlds!

Since becoming pregnant I have eaten a lot of oatmeal–it keeps me feeling full and I know I can add the healthy good stuff to it. Love this slow cooker version! Delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing! Pinning!

For a variety could you use other fruits instead of bananas? Mashed or pureed – Strawberries, peaches, blueberries or apples? Maybe a mixture of two? Would it still taste as good with all other ingredients, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, milk and just use whatever toppings you like?

Hi Diane, I haven’t made the recipe as written with any other ingredients, but it seems pretty forgiving. Apples seem like the easiest fruit to substitute, but give it a try with the other fruits you mentioned and simply omit the cinnamon until you taste the finished product. You can always stir it in before serving if you still want it. Or you may find another spice suits the flavor better. Happy experimenting!

Can’t wait to make this. Just wondering, how big of a Corningware dish did you use for the 3 cup milk 1 cup oats batch? Want to make sure it doesn’t overflow while cooking. Also do you think I could use water or almond milk for this? My LO has a dairy sensitivity.

I’m a novice at this. What would be a “heat safe bowl” appropriate for a crock pot? I have glass bowls that say “Conventional oven, microwave safe, no stovetop, no broiler use” but don’t know about crock pot. THANKS!

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Welcome to Garnish with Lemon. We’re Lisa and Anna – two Minnesota moms who bonded over preschools, carpools and a love of good food. Garnish with Lemon was born from our desire to inspire other families to eat well and to enjoy the process of cooking and creating in the kitchen. Read more